Shoe



Feb. 12, 1952 W. L. KNIPE SHOE -Filed May 27, 1950 Patented Feb. 12, 1952 UNITED STATESY PATENT 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in shoes and more particularly to an improved archsupporting shoe structure which provides asuperior degree of cushioned support for the arch of a foot as compared with any prior cushione support of which II am aware.

Various proposals have been made heretofore directed toward improving the arch-supporting qualities of shoes while cushioning the "support to provide increased comfort for the wearer of the shoes. These have included a pocket onv the upper-lining withinwhich a suitable stiifener has been enclosed with cushioning material intervening between the stiiener and a patch of leather, or the like, stitched to the inner surface of the lining for constituting one side wall of the pocket. `The edges of such a patch are exposed interiorly of the shoe and detract from the interior appearance as Well as providing discomforting ridges notwithstanding that the margin of the patch may be skived to minimize the prominence of the edges. Perhaps of greater importance is the fact that the attainment of a cushioning pad within the shoe at the region ofthe interior patch involves application of pressure to the cushioning material within the pocket sufficient to force the major area of the patch inward of the adjacent surfaces of the lining, and the'stiiener within the pocket and the lining to which the patch is stitched must be assembled with the cushioning materialin a manner to maintain the mentioned pressure on the cushioning material. Hence, much of the Wanted cushioning resilience of the cushioning material is rendered useless by the required substantial compression of the material in assembling the shoe. This is particularly true around the margins of the in-pressed patch-pad where gthe cushioning material becomes relatively highly compressed in the process of forcing the patch inward around its stitching. As a resu1t, ,`the margins of the in-pressed patch-pad, where a cushioning action is most desirable, are rendered substantially non-yielding. In other words, the margins of the patch-pad are deprived of any appreciable cushioning action by the magnitude of the assembly-compression of the marginal portions of the cushioning material within the pocket.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cushioned arch-supporting shoe structure wherein a cushioning arch-supporting pad has substantially greater cushioning capacity than is attainable with any of the prior comparable arch-supporting shoe structures of which .I am aware. .According to the invention, a pocket is formed on the lining of the shoe, for reception of a stiffener and a cushioning member, and the inner side Wall of the pocket is preliminarily molded, or otherwise pre-formed, to provide a depression in said wall interiorly of the pocket Within which depression the cushioning member may be disposed with the stiffener between-it and the outer wall of the pocket. When the shoe is assembled, the cushioning member, in the pre-formed depression, is vnot subjected to any substantial compression within the pocket and substantially its total resilient cushioning properties are available in the nished shoe. The inner wall of the pocket is preformed with a desirable projection of thearch-supporting pad portion thereof inward beyond the adjacent surfaces of the lining so that applied pressure is unnecessary for forcing the wall into inward projecting pad form. Hence, the margins of the pads, as Well as other portions thereof, can yield resiliently in response to pressure of a foot thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cushioned arch-supporting shoe structure wherein the lining of the shoe is entirely free of raw edges or ridges, interiorly of the shoe, and Y' due to embodiment of the arch-supporting structure therein, yet a relatively prominent archsupporting pad having superior foot-cushioning In a preferred embodiment of the invention the arch region of the shoe lining is molded or otherwise pre-formed to provide an inwardly pressed pad area of the lining resulting in a pad-receiving depression in the outer side of the lining. A patch is stitched to the lining at the outer surface thereof to provide a pocket between the lining and patch. By making the depression in the lining approximately as deep as the thickness of the pad, the pad may be enclosed' within the pocket during assembly of the shoe without any appreciable compression of the pad, whereby the full resilient capacity of the pad for being compressed is preserved for cushioning response to pressure of a foot in use of the shoe.

It is, moreover, my purpose and object -gen- I erally to improve the arch-supporting and archcushioning qualities of shoes.

In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a shoe having an arch-supporting pad embodying features of the invention indicated by a dotted line; Fig. 2 is a plan view .of the lining section in which the arch-supporting pad is formed; Fig. 3 is a Fig. 2;

OFFICE cross-sectional view on line 3--3 of -1 wise pre-formed to provide a depression or recess I4 in the outward-facing surface thereof, which.- results in a definite protuberance I5 on the in- Wardly facing surface of the lining. The depres-f sion or recess I4 has contour generally conforming to the desired shape of an arch-supporting`V cushioning pad of which the protubera-nceg I5.

provides the exposed surfaces, and has depth approximating thev thickness. ofr a cushioning dementie-Which is arranged in the recess and whichpreferably will beof 'sponge .rubber or a comparable relatively;l soft vresilient material A patch I8; of leather orthe like, is stitched at I9to the lining I2.A around `the margin of the recess I4, on the; outward-facing surface of the lining, the. loweredge portion of the patch being not stitched to the-liningsothatan opening is lef-t. at vthis lowenedgethrough which the cushioningelement I6 and astiifener 2B may be inserted into the-pocket formed between lining I2 and patch, I8. The stilfener ZI)4 may be a thinpiece of anv available stiiening; material cornmonly used for stiifeningtoe-boxes and counters,

thegmaterial having the.quality that when mois.-

tened.. it-rnay be readily shaped to conform to the shank; curvature `of the shoeduring. thelastins operation but which, when subsequently dried, acquires stiffening characteristics capable of satisfactorily maintaining the shank curvature ,of the shoe when inuse. Both the cushioning element I8- andthe. stii'rener 2G vterminate withinthe pocket` so that a lasting allowance onthe'upper andv on the. lining extend beyond thelower edges ofthe .cushion and stiener for beinglasted in. the. usualmanner without the cushion and stiifener needing tobe. turned ap.- preciablyinward in the lasting operation.

Itis a featureof the invention that the molded.

whereby the maximum cushioning properties ci" the element'l `are `preserved'for cushioning the regions of the arch pad are softly yieldable un# der the pressure of a foot, and the over-all cushioning effect is definitely more comforting and satisfying than the prior comparable arch pads which, in addition to being substantially less soft and resiliently yieldable, have had a raw edge interiorly of the shoe resulting from an interior stitched-on patch for providing the pocket for Areception of the. pedia-nd 'sstifeneix It is intended that thefpaten-t shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.

I claim as my invention:

. 1;..A.shoe;comprising an upper and a lining ,therefone said lining having a portion at the shank region oft'h'e shoe molded to provide a recess-therein of predetermined shape and depth at that side of the lining which is toward the upper and to provide a generallyl flat-protuberance-.of corresponding shape on that side of :thelining which is exposed interiorly of the shoe...v and a resiliently compressible cushioningelementl.: substantially filling said recess. and havingthick- Y ness approximating the depth of theirecesswwi-th its edgesbutted against the edge Walls of the recess. i

2. A shoe comprising an upper, and. aV lining, therefor, an element of.- flexiblersheet material A stitched to the lining `at ,they shankregion of theI shoe to provide a pocket between .the-.lining'andl said element, thatwallofthe-pocket .whichisex--- posed interiorly of theV shoe beingmolded to p rovide a recess ofpredetermined shape and depth.. between the walls of said pocket, a resilientpad.- arranged in said recess and having thicknessapproximating the depth vof the recess, a-relatively thin stiiening4 member backingl said padinv said pocket, said pad and stiffenerbeingmaintained A protuberance I5; This is in contrastv to priorpro'- posalsA in which any-archesupporting pad in-l teriorly `of a' shoei has required a; pocket waltobe deformed'inward by pressure appliedI to lapad element during assembly of the --shoe with substantial compression of- `the l`pad element. In other words, much ofthe resilient cushioning effect of the priorpads has been. lost'by-substantialcompression of the pad inprovidingrthe interior padl protuberance, whereastheV invention pre-forms the protuberance andi merelynllsfits hollowwith sponge rubber; orA the like, .Whose property for. .resilient yielding.. is substantiallyA undiminished by compression `during manufacture of the shoe. Hence, even the marginal-1'y in said pocket with substantiallyfall ofthe initial resilient cushioningpropertiea of thezpad preserved for cushioning the arch .off afootirrfthe.vv shoe.

3. A- shoe comprisingan upper andfha liningtherefor, anfelernentof exible sheet materialbe tween the upper and-.liningand stitched .-to.-t11 e. lining at the4 shank region ofthe shoe to provide.: a pocket betweenthe li'ningand said element... thepocketwall which `is provided by the liningbeing molded. to provide a recess therein .within the pocket and, tofprovide. a generally flat protuberance on theside of the lining which is .exposed interiorly of the shoe, a piece of sponge... rubber arrangedk in said recess andsubstantially lling the recess, anda relativelythin stiening.. member backing. the. rubber within said .pocketxl while leavingsubstantiallygallof the initial=.re silient cushioning.V properties of'fthe rubberava-i l7; able for cushioning said generally-,flat protuber ance interiorly ofv theY shoe; v

4.. A shoe comprising an upperA and aa1ining1 of whichV the liningfisfrnolded. at :the shank region.; ofthe shoe -to .provide a pad-'receivingrecessbea tween the -upper and lininggandtoA providef generally; iiat protuberanceat` that; sidefofAthe.; lining which is exposed-:within theshoe, a .p adi` of soft resilientfrnaterial substantiallniiling said.: recess and cushioning said protuberance, andaurelatively, thin' stiffeningg, member .a between I. the upper and-said padabackingl.thef-pa.d;v sadupaola.v having;v substantially its maximumthickness the completedr shoe; whereby@ its.; maximums'. cushioning propertie'srare preservedefor cushions. ing the arch-of 'azfoot imthesshoeif. j

5.-. A- shoe comprisinganl uppeicand afllninggoi:

which the lining is molded at the shank region of the shoe to provide a pad-receiving recess between the upper and lining and to provide a generally iiat protuberance at that side of the lining which is exposed within the shoe, a flexible sheet element stitched to the lining around a substantial portion of the margin of said recess on the recessed side of the lining whereby a pocket is provided between the lining and said flexible sheet element, a pad of soft resilient material substantially lling said recess and cushioning said protuberance, and a relatively thin stiffening member in said pocket backing said pad in said recess, said pad having substantially its maximum thickness in the completed shoe, whereby its maximum cushioning properties are preserved for cushioning the arch of a foot in the shoe engaging said protuberance.

6. In a shoe, two exible sheet elements extending in superimposed relation at the shank region of the shoe, one of said sheet elements being exposed interiorl;7 of the shoe at said shank region and being molded to provide a recess of 0 Number predetermined shape and depth between said sheet elements, a member of resilient material substantially filling said recess and having thickness approximating the depth of Said recess With its edges butted against the edge Walls of the recess, whereby said resilient member retains substantially its original thickness and its full capacity for resilient yielding when said sheet elements are in their assembled relation in a completed shoe and said butted edges of the resilient member constituting cushioning means for said edge walls of the recess.

WILLIAM L. KNIPE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Simons Mar. 8, 1949 y 

